The hardest part about wanting to do the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run (WS100) next year is that I live in Indiana and we don’t have many hills here. In order to gain the specific training and experience necessary to run 100-miles in the mountains of California, I have to do a bit of traveling. As part of this process, I flew to California last weekend to run as a pacer in this year’s WS100.
The rules of the WS100 allow each participant to have a pacer for the last 40-miles of the race. The main goal of the pacer is safety, since at this point it is beginning to get dark and the runners are very fatigued. A tired runner moving alone in the wildernesss at night who falls off an embankment might not be found for several days.
The runner I was chosen to pace for was Dan Brenden, a 56-year old attorney from Arizona. After doing some research, I discovered that Dan is quite the ultra-marathoner. Not only was this his fifth running at Western States, he is one of only five people in the world who has completed the “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning” three or more times. In addition, he has completed the “Last Great Race” the past two years. For those not familiar with these accomplishments, the Grand Slam involves completing four of the toughest 100-mile races in the U.S. in less than a 4-month time period. The Last Great Race is similar, but adds two more 100-mile races to the requirement.
When I arrived in Squaw Valley last Thursday, I was terrified that I would even be able to go the distance. Since I sprained my ankle last month, I haven’t been able to do a continuous run longer than 10-miles. Before the WS100, the longest distance I’d run was 31-miles over gentle terrain in the daytime. My job here required that I go 40-miles over mountainous terrain, mostly at night, and all at the pace of a very accomplished ultra runner. However, this race was not about me. There are no finisher awards for pacers. I was here for Dan and I needed to do whatever I could to get him to the finish line in Auburn.
Although Dan has finished this race 4 times, he has never done it in less than 24-hours. This is the cutoff time where runners are awarded the hand-made silver Western States Belt Buckle, a.k.a., the “most coveted prize in ultra-running”. The weather forecast for race day was near perfect and Dan had been running well the past few months. It became clear to me that this was his year for a sub-24-hour finish and I needed to make sure he persevered the last 40-miles to Auburn.
When Dan arrived at the 60-mile marker, he was about 10-minutes behind a 24-hour pace. Given his experience, I figured I would provide information rather than running advice. I studied the course route, the elevation profiles, and all the split times necessary for a 24-hour finish. I also strapped on my GPS so that I could provide realtime information on pace and distances.
Through the night, I had to be sensitive to Dan’s needs, all while keeping him on pace. If I pushed too hard, he might get discouraged. If I didn’t push at all, he wouldn’t meet his goal. I knew that he could make it before the 24-hour deadline, but things can get pretty hairy after so many miles in the darkened wilderness. I have never in my life been so focused on a single goal. Nothing mattered at that point other than getting Dan to Auburn before 5:00am. I didn’t even notice my own aches and pains because I was so determined to keep Dan on task.
After almost 10-hours of running with Dan, we arrived in Auburn just before 4:30am … 30-minutes before the 24-hour cutoff. As we ran around the Placer High School track for the final 300-meters of the race, I was completely overcome with emotion because Dan had met his goal and that I was able to be a small part of it.
As Dan crossed the finish line, he swept up his crew chief, Huguette, in a tradition that is widely known in the ultra-running world. I then disappeared into the sea of spectators, unknown to the lights and the cameras and the glory of a sub-24-hour WS100 finish. The job of a pacer is one of anonymity, but the reward of seeing Dan win his race was more of an experience than anything else I could ask for. No matter what happens from this point forward with my own WS100 aspirations, I can be satisfied with having played a part is such an epic adventure as well as the special bond formed out on the trail that only Dan and I can comprehend.
Dan and Huguette (Crew Chief) at Finish
Dan and Patrick (Pacer) at Finish
Dan and Patrick with WS100 Silver Buckle
